Artex - worth the cost and bother of getting rid?

gwynlas

Artex is very dated and whilst sometimes used  as decoration was also used to hide a multitude of sins, it would depend on the age of your property which applied. If you intend to sell in the future then you might as well get it skimmed sooner rather than later as the price of work is unlikely to go down.

onomatopoeia99

The presence of artex would put me off.  I've been having the rooms in my house completely re-plastered one at a time as I decorate them due to artex ceilings and the damage done removing woodchip wallpaper that's been painted with something non-permeable to water so the steamer doesn't work until it's had the chips scraped off.

Never again, so if I walked into your house as a potential buyer and saw artex in the hall I'd probably walk back out again (also true of woodchip wallpaper, which is a blight).

FreeBear

gwynlas said: Artex is very dated and whilst sometimes used  as decoration was also used to hide a multitude of sins

Got artex (and woodchip paper) on ceilings here - The stuff was applied to cover up cracks in the plaster, which it did for a few years. The cracks have reappeared, and any attempt to fill them will stick out like a sore thumb.

As I redecorate each room, the ceilings are coming down and being replaced with plasterboard - Gets rid of the artex, solves the problems with cracks, and gives me opportunity to shove insulation in between the joists. Reduces the cold spots around the perimeter of the house. Also a good time to sort out any wiring & plumbing.

Artex on the walls is being removed with X-Tex, which I've found to be very effective, even with thick coatings.

A stairwell is not an easy space to work in - Ideally, one needs scaffolding to work safely. Using ladders and planks of wood is a bit too sketchy for my taste.. Well worth investing in a scaffold tower.

Just three rooms left to do, and the expense has been well worth it in my opinion.